Speeches
- Written by: Eiji Tokuno, Chairman, UPF-Eurasia
UPF-Eurasia organizes practical activities in the 15 nations of the former Soviet Union, Mongolia and China. UPF Peace Ambassadors strive to bring about concrete changes in all realms of society: politics, religion, economy, education, the media, etc.
- Written by: Young-Cheol Song, Chair, UPF-Europe
The past 60 years or so have seen great advances in the quest to secure the rights of all human beings, and Europe can feel justifiably proud of the seminal role that it has played in this process. We recognize that there remains an enormous amount of work to be done if we are to build a world of lasting peace wherein all people live together in mutual respect, harmony, and cooperation for the well-being of all.
- Written by: Belinda Atim, Global Health Advocacy Officer, TB Alert (UK)
We women want equal rights; we also want the vote; we want improved working conditions for women. This was the historic moment in world history, on March 8, 1911, when the International Women’s Day was born.
- Written by: Lady Fiona Hodgson, President, National Conservative Convention, UK
Helping women is about helping the whole of society: when you invest in women, they invest that money into their families and you are investing in future generations. Women do not wish to be seen as victims. If we can help support women, they have the ability to transform their societies and can be the most powerful agents for change.
- Written by: Dr. Eileen R. Borris, President, Global Peace Initiatives
Forgiveness is a complex process. It takes place inside human minds yet it operates on many levels. For forgiveness to have an impact on a political level, there needs to be political will. Forgiveness begins with the actions of leaders and the strengthening of structures which can teach and support the processes of forgiveness.
- Written by: H.E. U. Joy Ogwu, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations
A peaceful society must find a place for all its citizens, finding a place even for those who were once oppressors as well as the oppressed. And I believe that in this endeavor women can and should play the principal role in this challenging task of reconciliation and forgiveness. We believe that when women sit at the peace table, negotiations will not only move faster but they will be assured to achieve the desired results.
- Written by: Hon. Kenneth Marende, Speaker of the Kenyan National Assembly
Each of you are demonstrating that you are making a difference by standing up for the ideal of peace that transcends race and religion — universal peace. This is the key to our coexistence and development. It goes to show how small acts when multiplied across the world by millions of people can transform it.
- Written by: Dr. Hasmukh Dawda, Chair, UPF-Kenya
We are here because peace has been missing. So much suffering continues not because we are at war but because the peace that is much needed for development has gone missing.
- Written by: Bishop Lucrecio A. Alaban, Capitol United Evangelical Church, Oroquieta, Philippines
Many analysts have stated that the international community should come together through the UPF to establish a sustainable spiritual, moral, and economic mechanisms in Mindanao.
- Written by: Ika Kuntari, Indonesia
I do hope we can do our homework back in our country and, Insha Allah, we will meet again on other occasions to share our best practices. Together we can do better. With true love we can do more.
- Written by: Bishop Lucrecio Araneta Alaban, Capitol United Evangelical Church, Philippines
Religion is the spiritual power moving into an era of interfaith cooperation and universal peace. Religion is dynamic and active. It is dealing with the living issues of world peace in the realm of quantum physics. Academics talk of action-reaction laws: that for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction and that the reaction is always greater than the action. Such reaction is very much needed to address the century-long Mindanao conflict in the Philippines.
- Written by: Dr. Ahmad Kanaan, Assistant Judge, Higher Sunni Islamic Court, Lebanon
in my opinion there is no divine law that does not call for us to value the good and reject the evil, that does not call us to cooperate, communicate, and harmonize and reject division, alienation, and strife. All faiths are founded on the virtues of human decency and the fight against vices. While respecting ethics cherished by different beliefs, we can shorten the distance and leave aside the causes of disagreement.